Targeting systems are typically described as point-to-point architectures. That is, all of the information required to target and physically characterize an object and the hardware associated with such targeting, may be held within one physical platform. The target object itself may be sensed by imaging, spectroscopy, lidar, some combination of these, and/or by other sensing methods. Each of these processes may be defined by the collection, in some format, of the electromagnetic energy emanating from it, and by the conversion, through some physical process, into electronically accessible information. The processes may also include a processor for interpreting the data associated with the electronically accessible information. In passive targeting systems, a single sensing receiver or multiple receivers is often located on the platform. In active targeting systems, a sensing source and receiver are both often co-located on the same platform. There are problems with these systems, such as the mechanical constraints caused by having a large amount of weight and volume on one platform, making deployment in air and space-borne geometries challenging. In addition, imaging and more generally, sensing, may be constrained to the two dimensional case. Sensors that are not networked may have to process data on a single platform before sharing the information. This local processing may lead to premature data truncation, causing loss of information before sharing with data collected from other geographical areas. Areas that are crowded with non-target objects may face partial or complete obscuration.
A network and/or method of forming and using a network is needed to address one or more problems associated with one or more of the existing networks and/or methods.